Health workers preparing for World Cup mass-gathering risks
Toronto's public health officials have spent months planning for infectious disease control, food safety, and mass-casualty scenarios.
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As the FIFA World Cup takes over North America for the next six weeks, health-care workers in host cities are stepping up preparations for potential threats — from mass-casualty events to disease outbreaks.
Toronto Public Health has been conducting global surveillance to track which infectious diseases are common in travellers' countries of origin, including measles and meningitis. The federal government has imposed temporary travel restrictions on visitors from Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan amid an Ebola outbreak, though local public health authorities note the risk of Ebola is low and outbreaks like norovirus are more likely.
"We really are inviting the world," said Dr. Michelle Murti, Toronto's medical officer of health. "There was a lot of replanning depending on which countries we would be hosting."
Measles is one of the most infectious viruses in the world, with symptoms appearing days after exposure. Public health would warn people if the virus is present in a certain area and urge them to check vaccination status. Staff would also mobilize to set up vaccine clinics if needed. Toronto has "generally pretty high levels of vaccine coverage," Murti said.
Public health is using wastewater testing near the soccer stadium, training sites, and the FIFA Fan Festival to monitor for norovirus, measles, and mpox. If detected, increased handwashing and hand-sanitizer stations would be deployed. Food safety is also being stepped up to prevent norovirus, salmonella, and listeriosis outbreaks at FIFA events.